Ohio St. QB Cardale Jones Trolls NFL Draft Fans, Returns to School
Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones had one of the best runs we’ve seen in college football postseason history as he took down Wisconsin, Alabama, Oregon, and simultaneously all three of this year’s Heisman Trophy finalists all in a row.
Of course, he had a little help from his Buckeyes teammates, but Urban Meyer’s latest success story took the college football world by storm with his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame and absolute rocket of an arm. Jones showed incredible instincts and ability to make plays while leading Ohio State to a National Championship along with a stellar defensive output and the performance of young running back Ezekiel Elliott.
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Jones’ ascension was something else, and it caused people to believe that he could be a potential day two pick in the NFL Draft — perhaps higher — if he would choose to leave school early. Players with physical tools like Jones’ don’t come around all the time, and the intrigue was at an all-time high after three starts in college and an awesome display of playmaking ability.
Certainly the hype train was going so fast that someone had to pull a major trick to stop it, but no one expected that person to be Cardale Jones himself. Jones announced on Twitter that he would be giving an announcement in the mid-afternoon on Thursday, and that it was to be a ‘life-changing’ decision.
The life-changing decision turned out to be returning to Ohio State for at least another season while he finishes his degree. Jones said in a press conference on Thursday that it was important for him to finish school, even though there’s a tweet with his name attached to it that involves him complaining about schoolwork when he came to school not to learn but to play football.
It sounds like Jones has matured since then, but he still gave up a lot to stay in school and play at Ohio State — or maybe not play — rather than to leave for the NFL and develop on some team’s bench. Jones admitted he wasn’t ready for the NFL, which was a terrible thing to say otherwise he could have probably pretty comfortably landed on the second day of the draft.
Jones might not win the starting job next year at Ohio State, so it’s cool to see him betting on himself. He’s not guaranteed anything, especially going up against JT Barrett who was a Heisman candidate in his own right, accounting for over 4,000 total yards and 40 plus touchdowns.
This young man may lack in terms of college starts and playing time, but the upside is tremendous. Urban Meyer is going to have a pretty fun problem on his hand this Spring, and we’ll see what comes of it.